


International Post

by kickcows



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-02-28 21:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2748107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickcows/pseuds/kickcows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin moves to Australia to become better at swimming, and Makoto writes to him often. Takes place prior to the events of first season of Free! Written for MakoRin Week 2014.</p>
            </blockquote>





	International Post

**Author's Note:**

> This fulfills the fifth prompt - letters - for [MakoRin week](http://makorinweek.tumblr.com). A close friend gave me the idea, so my thanks to her. Please enjoy!

***

Another school day was finally over. Makoto could barely drag his body up the stairs towards his house, as he thought about what homework he needs to work on first. It’s the first day of his last year at junior high, and all he can think about is how horrendous the first day was, and was a little bit worried that the rest of the year was going to be just as torturous. He said goodbye to Haruka Nanase, one of his best friends in his year, before heading up the last flight of stairs to his home. With his brow furrowed in concentration, he opened the front door to his house, and walked in.

“Makoto, honey! Is that you?” His mother called out to him.

“Yes!” He pulled off his shoes in the foyer, and kept his backpack balanced on his shoulder.

“You got another letter today! I put it in your bedroom!”

“Thanks, Mom!” He walked into the family room, where his mother was busy entertaining the twins. “Did you need any help?”

“No, I think I got it under control.” She smiled. “Do you want a snack? You don’t have homework, do you? It’s the first day of school, so no homework, right?”

“No. I do have homework.” He sighed. “I’m going to take care of it now. Please let me know if you need help with dinner?” He waved at the twins, Ren and Ran, and received a giggle from his sister. He headed towards his bedroom, and walked in, closing the door behind him.

The letter his mother had told him about was sitting on his desk. A white envelope with blue and red marks around the perimeter told him just who the letter was from. He dropped his backpack on the ground next to his desk, and sat down, picking up the letter with his right hand. He saw the return address, and immediately smiled, as he pulled the piece of paper out and began to read it, with a look of concentration on his face.

_“Hi Makoto!_

_If this letter arrives when I think it should, today must have been your first day of your last year in junior high. How did it go? Was it awful? I bet it was. Is the weather nice right now? My first day of my ‘third’ year was pretty terrible, but only because I am still struggling with English. I’m working on it, though. I’ve got another penpal I write to that I write only in English, to help with my skills. We’ll see if that works or not._

_I wish we could communicate faster than these darn letters. I miss talking to you. It’d be nice to hear someone speak Japanese. Not that the Aussie accents are difficult to understand, but still. I miss home a lot. But I don’t want to end this on a sad note!_

_Please write back soon, and tell me all about your first day? Even if you think it’s boring, and I won’t want to read it. I will. Trust me._

_Okay, I have to go now. Gotta get to the pool and work on my time. Hope to hear from you soon!_

_Your friend - Rin”_

Ignoring the homework in his backpack, he grabbed a piece of stationery, and began to write a lengthy letter to Rin. He didn’t like writing that much, but when it came to telling things to Rin, the pen just moved freely on the piece of paper. Maybe it was because they had become such close friends over the last couple of years since Rin had moved to Australia. He had always wondered if he was writing letters to Haruka, or maybe someone else back home, but never had the guts to come right out and ask him. He figured it wouldn’t even matter, and didn’t want these letters to stop coming.

After taking up two pieces of stationery, front and back, he grabbed an international envelope from his drawer, and placed the folded letter inside. His mother had bought him a pack of them, once she realized that their letters were more than just a random correspondence. No, Makoto was fairly certain that Rin was his absolute best friend, even above Haruka. It sometimes hurt when he thought about how far away the two of them were, but the letters were enough. Addressing the envelope, and sticking the appropriate stamps on it, he set it to the side, and grabbed his homework out of his backpack, and got to work.

…

The next time Makoto received a letter from Rin, it was two months later. He knew post was slow, but he hadn’t expected the reply to be that late. After he had sent his last letter, he had started to anticipate a reply after two weeks. So, for six agonizing weeks, Makoto kept hoping his mother was going to tell him another letter had arrived. He had just about given up hope, when on a Friday before a long weekend, his mother knocked on his bedroom door.

“Come in!” He called out, his voice slightly cracking. He groaned, hating that his voice was still changing, even after going through it a little bit when he was eleven. He could feel his cheeks heating up, as he became embarrassed by the sound of his voice.

His mother poked her head in. “Makoto, the mail just came.” She held out that familiar envelope with red and blue markings on it in her hand. “I thought you might like to read this now?”

He jumped up from his chair, and walked over to the door. “Yes, thank you!” He took the letter from her hands, and smiled. “Is dinner going to be ready at six?”

“It is. Maybe you can come and help me after you read that?” She asked. “Unless you’re busy with homework.”

Makoto shook his head. “No, I finished!” His voice cracked again, making his eyes widen at the horrible noise. “Sorry!” He quickly apologized.

“Oh, Makoto, honey. Don’t be sorry.” His mother ruffled his hair. “It’s natural. You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” She kissed the top of his head. “Come out when you’re ready, okay?” She closed the door, leaving Makoto alone.

He walked over to his bed, and sat down. His finger ran under the flap that sealed the envelope, lifting it up carefully. Reaching into the opened envelope, he pulled out the letter, and laid down on the bed.

“ _Makoto!! I am so, so sorry that I didn’t send this sooner to you. I am a terrible friend, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me. And if not, well - fine. :p I can’t fault you for that, and can’t beg you to continue to be my friend._

_School has been just as rough for me here. I’m always tired. I’m tired of being tired. LOL. I’m whining, aren’t I? I guess it’s because I just miss everyone. I don’t really have a lot of friends here. My homestay family is great, though. We have a puppy, and she’s really cute. Her name is Winnie. I’m putting a picture that Lori, that’s my ‘mom’, took of me and Winnie.”_

Makoto paused in reading the letter, and took a look at the picture. He felt his stomach begin to twist a little, butterflies appearing out of nowhere. He could see the sadness on Rin’s face, and just wanted to reach through the picture to see a genuine smile on his face. The smile that was there looked so forced, that it hurt Makoto’s heart. Sighing softly, he looked back at the letter, and kept reading.

“ _It’s supposed to get cold soon. I’m still not used to the seasons being so different here. I miss fall in September, and winter in December. That’s lame, isn’t it?_

_How’s Haru? Are you guys still swimming? Or did you stop? If you stopped, are you doing anything else for a hobby? How are the twins? Are they growing up to be terrible monsters yet? Can you send a picture to me soon? I would love to see what everyone looks like. If that’s too creepy, then pretend I never said it, okay? Okay._

_Do you still see Nagisa? Is he still swimming? Gosh, I miss swimming with you guys. Not that the people I swim with here aren’t great and all. I just…_

_Well, I have to get going. I’ll try not to let too much time lapse again. Remember to send that picture!_

_Your friend - Rin”_

Makoto set the letter down, and looked at the photograph. He wanted to tell Rin that he was still swimming, but the truth was, he wasn’t. He hadn’t swum since they won their trophy at the meet, right before Rin left for Australia. He missed the water, but with his schoolwork as crazy as it was, there really wasn’t a lot of free time. Not that anyone was begging him to go swimming either.

Leaving his bedroom, he walked out and headed to the kitchen. “Mom? Do we still have a Polaroid camera?” He  saw the twins were hanging out in their play area, talking quietly to one another.

“Yes, dear! It’s in the hallway closet! Why?”

He walked to where she said it was, and opened the closet door. The Polaroid camera was just where she said it would be, and it still had film in it. He took it down from the shelf, and walked back into the living room. He snapped a quick picture of the twins, who both laughed when the flash went off. He held the picture in his hand, and walked into the kitchen.

“Rin asked me to take a picture of the twins. Mom? Can you take a picture of me too?” He looked down at himself, and suddenly felt really self-conscious. He was going through another growth spurt, so his clothes weren’t fitting him very well. His mother kept saying she’d take him clothes shopping, but with the twins, it seemed that that never became a thing.

She took the Polaroid camera from him and nodded. “Of course, honey. Here, smile!” She held the camera up.

He smiled as big as he could, hoping that it didn’t look fake. It didn’t feel fake, but after seeing the picture that Rin had sent to him, he wanted him best friend to see that he was okay. Not great, but not terrible. As the picture began to develop, he saw how silly he looked, and groaned.

“What is it, Makoto?” His mother asked, as she moved about the kitchen, making dinner.

“I look stupid.” He groaned. “Mom, I really need to get some clothes that actually fit me.” He never really asked for things, but after seeing that picture, he couldn’t stop the request from leaving his mouth.

“I know, sweetie. We’ll go to the mall tomorrow. You will need to drop that letter at the post too, right?”

“Yeah.” He went back to his bedroom, holding both pictures with his hand.

He sat down at his desk, and drafted another three page letter to Rin, complaining about his woes of puberty. He left out the part about starting to wake up in the morning with wet sheets, usually after having very naughty dreams about Rin. The last dream he had had, they had kissed, and he had woken up, breathing heavily, the stickiness on his belly letting him know just what had happened. He didn’t know what was going on with his body, or his head, but confessing that sort of thing in a letter was probably unwise. He talked about mundane things, and made sure to ask Rin just what he was up to, before he stuck both pictures into the envelope, and sealed it up. He only hoped that Rin didn’t think he was too much of a dork, even though that picture pretty much said it for him.

…

“Another letter for you!” His mom called out, as he walked into the house after school, a few weeks later. “I left it on your desk!”

Makoto didn’t bother to go see the twins, and instead headed to the bedroom, while calling out his thanks to his mom. He closed his bedroom door, and went over to his desk, where that red and blue striped envelope was, and picked it up. His fingers pulled out the letter, and unfolded it with skilled ease. His mouth dropped open, as he started to read the letter, feeling those butterflies returning almost immediately.

“ _Dear Sosuke - I need your help. I’m pretty sure I’m drowning right now, and I’ve got no one else that can help me out of it, except for you.”_

His mouth had gone dry, as he stared at the letter. Makoto had no idea who this Sosuke was, but obviously it was someone that Rin cared about. He could feel his heart starting to break, for some strange reason, and suddenly those butterflies were replaced by queasiness. Taking a deep breath, he decided to continue reading, because he had to know just what was going on with Rin.

“ _I’m pretty sure I’m in love with Makoto._ ”

The queasiness abruptly turned back into butterflies, his palms becoming slick with sweat as his eyes read more of the letter meant for someone else.

“ _I’m almost positive that if I told him, he’d be disgusted by it. Like, a boy liking another boy? Gross. But I know you get it, because I remember you telling me you once had a crush on the boy that lived next door to you. How did you handle that? Was it difficult for you?_

_It’s awful. I send him a letter, and then like some pathetic puppy, I’m anxiously waiting for a reply from him. Sometimes he sends one right away. The last one, he sent a little later than normal, and I had figured he just didn’t want to write anymore. And that made me feel so sick, Sosuke. I felt gross, and wanted to just sleep in bed all day. And when I did sleep, I was dreaming about him. Like, not your regular dreams, either. No, these are more….well….you know what I mean. I hope you do, because I don’t really want to write it out. It’s too embarrassing._

_What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to tell him I’ve got feelings for him? Or should I just keep my mouth shut? What would you do? Any answers will help._

_Thanks, Sosuke. Talk to you soon. - Rin_ ”

The letter dropped to the floor, as Makoto tried to work out just what the words meant. He couldn’t believe that Rin actually was having the same feelings as he was. But this? This isn’t how he wanted to learn about it. He felt guilty for reading a letter not intended for him, but after seeing his name, it had been rather difficult to not keep reading. He wondered what this Sosuke person must think, if he received the letter intended for Makoto. What did that letter say? How in the world was he going to respond to the letter, if he didn’t know what was in it?

Deciding that it didn’t matter, he grabbed some paper and began to write to Rin, as if it was any other letter. He only hoped that this Sosuke person would not tell Rin that he had sent the wrong letter, because he didn’t want Rin to stop writing him out of mortification. The words flew onto the page, as he wrote about what had happened over the past few weeks, and then asked about what he was up to. Satisfied that the letter seemed like every other letter Makoto had been sending to him, he got an envelope ready, and sealed it fast, before he could change his mind.

…

Time seemed to fly. Makoto took off the tie he was wearing, the green and white tie looking strangely out of place. He had just finished his first day of high school. He kept thinking about how the last year in junior high hadn’t been all that terrible, but after the day he had just had, he knew that high school was going to prove to be more difficult.

His eyes darted over to the letter he had received from Rin the day before. He picked it up, and couldn’t help the smile that started to grow the more he read the letter.

“ _Oh my gosh, you’re starting high school soon, Makoto! Are you going to Iwatobi? Or did you decide to go to that prep school? What was it called...Samezuka?_

_Listen - my host family has said that I could call you tomorrow night. Will you be home? I really hope you will, since you won’t be able to answer this letter right away. Gosh, please be home. I think this should arrive at your place on Thursday. Crap. ~~What if I’m wrong?~~_

_Ignore that last part, please. I had a momentary lapse of sanity. I guess if I call before the letter even gets there, it won’t matter. Just act surprised if you read this after the fact, okay?_

_Good luck on your first day of high school. I’m already in my first year, and it’s pretty terrible. But, maybe it’ll be different for you. I hope it will be._

_Talk to you soon, Makoto. Love, Rin.”_

He had practically memorized the letter, and really didn’t need to look at it to know what came next. He wanted the day to go by fast, so he could talk to Rin on the phone. Even if it was just a quick hello. Just _something_ to hold on to.

His desk had pictures of Rin in Australia posted around it. In one particular picture was Rin’s desk, and he could see the pictures he had been sending to him on a semi-regular basis scattered up on the walls behind his desk. It made him so incredibly happy to see that. The tones of their letters gradually began to change, the more they wrote to each other. Makoto couldn’t remember who had first started to write ‘love’ at the end, but now it seemed like it would be awkward without it there.

Almost as if he willed it, the telephone began to ring. His eyes darted to the phone in his bedroom. “I got it!” He called out, before, closing his bedroom door. He jumped onto the bed, and picked up the phone, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering around nervously. Taking a deep breath, he spoke into the receiver. “Hello?”

“Oh my gosh.” Makoto’s heart stopped when he heard Rin’s voice. It sounded so…. different. “Makoto? Is that you?”

He wanted to laugh, or maybe he wanted to cry. Or perhaps both. His emotions were spinning out of control, and his throat was dry, unable to answer the question.

“Makoto! Speak!” Rin shouted into the phone, making Makoto laugh. “Ah, there we go. You are still alive.”

“Rin.” He said breathlessly, still chuckling a little. “Yes, it’s me. Hi. Wow. You sound different.”

“As do you.” Rin remarked. Makoto could hear the smile in his voice. “Oh, gosh. Does my Japanese sound terrible? I bet it does.”

“You sound like a foreigner trying to speak the language politely.” Makoto heard Rin groan, which made him laugh again. “It’s cute. I can hear a slight Australian accent in it, though.”

“No shit?” Rin replied. “Well, color me surprised. How’d school go? How’s it feel to be in high school now?”

“It feels weird.” Makoto laid down on the bed, his nerves finally disappearing. “I guess I’ll get used to it. How’s school for you? How’s swimming going?”

There was a small pause, but it was long enough for Makoto to know something wasn’t right. “It’s going. School is school. Swimming is swimming.”

“What’s wrong, Rin?”

“How can you do that?” Rin asked, speaking quietly. “Can you read minds or something, Makoto?”

“No.” Makoto shook his head. “No, I just know when something isn’t right with you. And it doesn’t sound right. Like your first picture you sent to me.”

Rin snorted. “First picture? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you were smiling, but you weren’t really smiling.” Makoto started to fiddle with the tie that was still hanging loosely on his chest. “But don’t avoid the question. Is something the matter?”

He heard Rin sigh. “Sort of. I just…”

“What is it, Rin?” Makoto sat up on the bed, holding the phone to his ear. “I know we don’t have a lot of time to talk, so the sooner you can say it, the better you’ll feel.”

“I’ve hit a wall, Makoto.” If Makoto didn’t have the phone pressed to his ear, he would not have heard him speak. “I’m getting tired. I just want to quit.”

“Don’t quit. You wanted to go down there to become better at swimming. It sounds like things are just really tough right now. Get through this year. Maybe they’re just being extra hard on you because it’s your first year of high school.” Makoto was speaking a mile a minute, but he didn’t want to be cut off.

Another soft sigh came across the line. “Fine. I’ll get through this year. I’m….I miss home so much.” He could hear Rin’s voice beginning to waiver. “Makoto, I-”

A woman’s voice came onto the phone, speaking in what Makoto could hear was English. When she got off the line, he could hear the exasperation in Rin’s voice. “I have to go now, Makoto. I’m glad you were home. I’m glad we could talk for a moment. I’ll try and call you again soon, okay? Don’t forget to write back.”

“Rin!” Makoto called out, but the line was already dead.

He stared at the phone, feeling his eyes beginning to water. The phone call didn’t go at all how he had hoped. He flopped back down onto his bed, and pulled his pillow to his face. He could hear Rin’s deeper voice, the change making him feel warm all over. He wondered if Rin was thinking about his voice had sounded, or if he was more worried about how he had just exposed himself to Makoto.

Getting up, he walked over to his desk and sat down at his desk. He began to write a long letter to Rin, writing furiously as he thought about their conversation more.

He wondered if Rin would make it the year, or if he would be coming back to Iwatobi before then. The thought of Rin being back home, after everything they had shared through their letters made him a little nervous, but also a little excited. Not that he didn’t want Rin to succeed in Australia. No, far from it. But, after hearing him over the phone, he knew now why most of the pictures of Rin never showed his smile reaching his eyes. He would help Rin get to be in a better place. He had to.

…

The last letter Makoto received from Rin had only a few words on it. The letter was in his pocket, as he waited in the baggage claim for international flights at the Tokyo airport. He pulled it out of his pocket, and read it again for the fifteenth time.

“ _5:00pm. March 23. Flight 772 JAL. Coming home for good. <3, Rin_”

A clock began to chime in the airport, letting everyone know that it was now five in the evening. He looked around, and tried to see if anyone from Rin’s family was going to be there too, or if it was just him at the airport. People began to start arriving in the baggage claim, from flight 772.

He stared at where the people were funneling from. The last picture he had received from Rin, he had been growing his hair out. Would it still be like that? Or will it be super short? Makoto ran a hand through his hair nervously, and decided to take a look at the conveyor belt, which has started to move, as bags began to travel down the ramp.

His eyes looked back over at the area, and saw that there are no more people walking through. Did he get the date wrong? Maybe he misread the letter. Reaching back into his pocket, he took another look at it, even though he had just done so only five minutes prior. Just as he was putting it back into his pocket, he could see someone with maroon hair hugging someone with jet black hair. Makoto’s heart dropped when he realized that he wasn’t the only one that was told to be there.

Deciding he wanted to save himself the embarrassment, he turned on his heel and starts to walk away from the baggage claim. He felt foolish for ever believing that Rin might reciprocate his feelings, when neither of them had ever said anything about them to each other. Not that Makoto hadn’t tried. His waste basket had been home to quite a few letters that had confessed how he felt to his best friend, but decided that it was never the right thing to say.

“MAKOTO!” A voice shouted, stopping him mid-stride. He turned around, and saw Rin racing towards him. Bracing himself, Rin collided into his body, his arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace. “Makoto! You’re here!!”

Not knowing what else to do, Makoto began to hug him back just as enthusiastically. “Of course I’m here. Why wouldn’t I be? You said you were coming home. I had to see it for myself.”

“But, you were leaving.” Rin pulled back, his eyes watering. “Oh, Makoto. I’m so damn happy to see you!” He hugged him again, pressing his face against Makoto’s shoulder.

The teen with jet black hair walked over to them. “Hey. I’m Sosuke.”

“Sosuke?!” Makoto stared at the teen, who wore a sheepish look on his face. At that moment, Makoto realized how stupid he had felt. “I-”

“He knows.” Sosuke pointed at Rin, who still hadn’t let go of Makoto. “What was I supposed to say?”

Feeling embarrassment start to creep up on his face, Makoto pulled Rin away from him. “You knew? All this time, I had been keeping up this act, even though I knew how you felt?”

“I didn’t know how to tell you!” Rin began to wipe the tears off of his face with his jacket. “Makoto, I still feel that way.”

He groaned, and pulled Rin back into a tight embrace. “So, you just had to fly 7200 kilometers to tell me that? You could have just told me on the phone, you know.”

“No, it had to be like this.” Rin pulled Makoto’s head towards him, and kissed him softly. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that for.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a good idea.” Makoto pressed his lips against Rin’s for a second kiss, the first nowhere near long enough.

Sosuke coughed into his hand. “Um, I think your bags may be here.” The conveyor belt was now piled up with more bags than before.

“Shit!” Rin ran off, and began to search for his bags.

Once he grabbed his bags, the three headed towards the metro station. Makoto’s hand was latched onto Rin’s. He looked over at Rin, and felt his stomach drop towards the floor.

Rin’s smile had finally reached his eyes.


End file.
